1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an emergency notification system and, specifically, a personal safety mobile notification system with geographic tracking capability.
2. Description of the Related Art
A typical cellular or mobile phone system divides a geographic area into one or more “cells” with corresponding cellular towers. User devices (wireless mobile phones, computers, security systems, etc.) that are in a cell are in communication with one or more of the cellular towers responsible for the cell. Each cellular tower typically has a corresponding base station containing a power source and communication equipment in communication with a main communication system of the cellular phone system through a Mobile Switching Office (MTSO) or Mobile Switching Center (MSC). The phrase “public land mobile network (PLMN)” will be used to represent the entire mobile device communication network, regardless of the type of technology used in the communication network (e.g., GSM, PCS, CDMA, UMTS, etc). The PLMN might typically control any base station with which it is in communication, and might handle connections from cellular tower to cellular tower and from a cellular tower to the normal land-based phone system. While the term “cell” or “cellular” is used herein to refer to certain type of mobile device communication protocols, this term is used in its broadest sense to include other communications systems such as personal communications service (“PCS”) protocol, and the Global System for Mobile communications (“GSM”) protocol, or other similar communications protocols.
A cellular phone switches cells, and, thus, towers, as the phone is moved between geographic areas, allowing constant communication with the PLMN. Typically, a cellular phone has one or more codes associated with it, used to identify the specific phone, the phone's owner and the phone's service provider. For example, a cellular phone might have an Electronic Serial Number (ESN) or Mobile Equipment IDentifier (MEID) that is programmed into the phone when it is manufactured, a Mobile Identification Number (MIN) that is derived from the phone's number, and a System Identification Code (SID) that is assigned to each carrier by the Federal Communication Commissioner (FCC). While the ESN or MEID are considered a permanent part of the phone, both the MIN and SID codes are programmed into the phone when the cell phone is activated by a carrier. Additionally, many cellular phones include a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) memory card. A SIM card is a removable card that stores a service-subscriber key (IMSI) used by a carrier to identify a subscriber.
When a cell phone is first activated, it transmits a signal seeking the nearest cellular tower/base station, for example, to transmit a registration request, so that the PLMN can track the cell phone's approximate geographic location in a database. Even when the cell phone is not activated, the cell phone is in communication with the tower/base station over one or more control channels. In this regard, the PLMN can obtain approximately real-time data representing the approximate location of the cell phone. The PLMN's tracking of the cell phone's geographic location is used mainly to compute which cell phone tower is nearest the cell phone as the cell phone moves, so as to allow for more efficient communication switching when the phone is mobile. Thus, for example, when the PLMN receives an incoming communication for a particular cell phone, the PLMN locates the particular cell phone in its database, locates the nearest cellular tower, and forwards the incoming communication to the nearest cellular tower to complete the communication path. Many cell phones also employ the control channel(s) for the transmission of Short Message Service (SMS) messages between a source cell phone and the tower/base station. Once an SMS message is created and sent from the cell phone, the message is sent to the PLMN, which then routes the message to the cellular telephone network through an SMS gateway. The message travels to a short message service center (SMSC), which then transmits the message to the cell phone tower nearest to a destination cell phone, and the tower then relays the message to the destination cell phone.
Current mobile technology schemes for warning the general public of an emergency situation, for example a terrorist act, crime, fire, natural disaster, or any other category of potentially or actually harmful event have numerous inherent disadvantages. For example, broadcast messaging (like SMS messaging), are a passive technology that do not allow subscribers to actively interact, interface, trigger or activate a location's alarm or siren network within a proximity of the emergency. Additionally, current mobile technology schemes do not allow for “real time” forensic information to be electronically collected, stored or transferred to emergency personnel and/or other organizations in order to help prevent further injury or to gather information about the emergency.